... in the here and now

Challenge

January 25, 2010

"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful." ~ Mark Victor Hansen

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." ~ Helen Keller

"You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen." ~ Paulo Coelho

December 08, 2009

"This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." ~ William Shakespeare

"Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will." ~ John McDonald

"Never follow somebody else's path; it doesn't work the same way twice for anyone...the path follows you and rolls up behind you as you walk, forcing the next person to find their own way." ~ J. Michael Straczynski

"Unless your heart, your soul, and your whole being are behind every decision you make, the words from your mouth will be empty, and each action will be meaningless. Truth and confidence are the roots of happiness." ~ Unknown

December 01, 2009

I came across this project the day after I'd posted "As within, so without" as my thought for the week, and in the midst of a kidney infection. Due to a manic couple of months past, I haven't been blogging, and was promising myself I'd get back to it this week. The topic started by Mish drew me in...

I know this is true of everyone, but I HATE being sick. Apart from a cough/cold each winter I'm rarely sick. And when something else comes along it really pisses me off. I don't feel like I deserve it because for the most part I look after my health.

But reading other blogger's 'Exposed' posts about why they love their bodies has helped me shift back to an attitude of gratitude for my own body. I'm appreciating that it always serves me well. Always! Even if I'm feeling like it's letting me down, that isn't the case.

I do believe that every illness of the body has a metaphysical cause, and according to Louise Hay kidney problems can be caused by refusing to grow up.

Now two weeks ago I turned 40. And I didn't have a problem with it, really. I embraced it and celebrated it. Or at least that's what I thought I was doing!!

But I also joked with everyone that I wasn't really 40, I was going along with it for the craic (that's Irish for fun), but that somebody had made a big mistake. Definitely a bit of a conflict going on...

And so my body, that is usually healthy, is actually serving me well by manifesting a kidney infection. It has drawn my awareness to an inner conflict I need to resolve.

Divine right action is always taking place in my life. Only good comes from each experience. It is safe to grow up. ~ Louise Hay affirmation for my condition (in case you share it!)

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I wrote the above a week ago. I was pretty much inspired to do it after reading Lance's post. But it's taken me a week to get the courage to finish it, because to post I had to include the pic.

Eventhough I admired others the courage to post their semi-naked pics, when it came to doing the same myself, it felt a little indecent. Why is it that I could admire an action in others and criticise myself for contemplating the same? I detect a little double-standards in my consciosness...

And so, I'm taking a deep breath and posting. I still feel very uncomfortable doing so, but I also know that the discomfort comes from the need for approval, or to be more accurate in this case, the fear of disapproval. But I've let fear hold me back so often in my life, and these days I do my best not to let that happen anymore. I make a big effort to feel the fear and do it anyway.

So I've joined the ranks. Here is my body, exposed, as it looks today.

Right now, I'm ok with how it looks. But the problem is, I tend to appreciate it more when it looks what I consider to be good, and not so much when I feel like I need to lose a few pounds or tone up.

And that's not good enough really. My body deserves my respect and appreciation at all times. Because at all times it is working for me. Everything I experience in life is made possible by my perfect body. And therefore it is always worthy of my unconditional love, be it sick or healthy, thin or not-so-thin.

I'm grateful for that reminder. I'm also grateful that I'm nearly over my kidney infection ;-)

And even if I have some more work to do before I'm fully in the 'loving it' space, I'm definitely feeling ALOT more appreciation for my body!

November 02, 2009

"Most people think the heart is mushy and sentimental. But it's not. The heart is intuitve, it's holistic, it's contextual, it's relational. It doesn't have a win-lose orientation. . . At times it may not even seem rational, but the heart has a computing ability that is far more accurate and far more precise than anything within the limits of rational thought." ~ Deepak Chopra

"No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

"Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart." ~ Unknown

September 11, 2009

We're all pretty protective of our right to lead our own lives, make our own mistakes, learn our own lessons. But how good are you at allowing others the freedom to do the same?

In my life right now, I'm struggling with that. A central character in my life is proposing to sell her house and move to Egypt with her three year old daughter.

And my ego (along with those of all her family) is strongly resisting it. And while I admit that some of that comes from my selfish desire for her to remain in Ireland where I can see her regularly, it's mostly worry and fear for her wellbeing, and the wellbeing of her young child.

Oh, my ego could provide you with a very long list of all the reasons why this plan is misguided and doomed to failure. And your ego would be nodding along in agreement - of that I have absolutely no doubt!

Whenever I allow myself to dwell on the matter for more than a couple of minutes, and especially when I begin explaining to others all the reasons why she should not do this, I get very upset. Thank God for meditation though, because it is helping me to loosen the grip of fear and glimpse a possible higher purpose in all of this.

When I allow my Higher Self to get a word in, I acknowledge that I cannot see the big picture of this person's life, and what I think I know to be the certain outcome of this "drastic" move may not in fact turn out to be the case. I also remember that this three year old girl is more than a child under the control of her mother's decision. She is also a wise soul who chose this other soul to be her mother in this lifetime. And both of these souls also chose to learn particular lessons - and just maybe this move to Egypt is a necessary part of both their journeys.

I do know that. But my ego doesn't like it, not one little bit. But slowly, my ego and Higher Self are reaching a compromise. I'm hoping that this plan is not destined to manifest, that it is not for the highest good of all, and will in the end come to nothing. (In a nutshell, I'm hoping she will see "sense")

But at the same time, I'm trying to accept that maybe it is for the highest good (no matter what I, or anyone else thinks about it). And if it does come about I hope I will look back on it and be glad that it happened despite my current feelings on the subject. I'm remembering most growth comes from the difficult situations rather than the easy ones. And if we're not growing then there's not much point in our being here.

I'm working with this affirmation by Florence Scovell Shinn:

"I do not resist this situation. I put it in the hands of Infinite Love and Wisdom and let the Divine idea come to pass."

It's from The Game of Life and How to Play it (a gem of a book), and it's helping me to loosen the fearful grip of my ego, and allow my Higher Self to deliver some peace of mind.

What about you? How do you cope when you find yourself in similar situations?

September 09, 2009

At the end of the day, it's all about energy. You and I, and everything else that exists in the physical universe may appear to have solid form. But it's all an illusion. We are all masses of energy vibrating at different frequencies.

Moods, feelings, emotions, states of being are all energy forms as well. And the energy of happiness is a high vibration, while the energy of sadness, despair and depression are low vibrations. So, in order to be happy we need to raise our energetic vibration and keep it in a high place.

Essentially, everything being discussed in this series is a tool to help you do just that. But if I were to pick out one single action that will exponentially increase your energetic vibration, it's meditation. That will, of course, be dealt with in more detail in M is for . . . - but we are kind of a long way from there yet, so in the meantime why not check out my series on the benefits of meditation.

When we meditate, we raise our energetic vibration. When we practice meditation on a daily basis, we incrementally increase our vibration so that over time we find ourselves to be in a happier place within, no matter what is going on without.

As with anything, the only way to know this for sure is to give it a go yourself (the final post in the series mentioned above talks about getting started).

Easeand Effortlessness

One of the secrets to being happy is to stop struggling with life. To allow things to unfold as they will. That is not to say you can't want certain things - of course you can. But you don't always have to bust a gut to achieve those things (and of course you can still be happy even if you don't achieve them - see D is for... Detach from your Desires)

A better way is to set the intention for what you want, be open to all sorts of ways of that coming about, and then take inspired action.

There's a difference between inspired action and hard work. And it has nothing to do with laziness. In fact, somebody who's taking inspired action to achieve their goals could be working quite had indeed. But, if it's inspired, and coming from the power of intention, it usually doesn't feel like hard work. There's pleasure in the process.

Hard work, by my definition, is work for the sake of the end goal. It's when enjoying the journey doesn't figure much, becuase the destination is the real focus. I know it's important to have a destination in mind - otherwise we could wander around aimlessly for years. But we don't know how long we're here for, we're not guaranteed to arrive at our destination, therefore to experience joy along the way we need to focus more on the journey.

Besides, as Lance recently discussed in Detours on the Path of Life, we're all going to encounter detours along the way. If we're too focused on the end game, we get upset, frustrated, anxious about those detours - states that detract from our happiness. And besides that, sometimes they lead to a new - and even better - destination than where we were originally headed.

"Least effort is expended when your actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love... when your actions are motivated by love, there is no waste of energy. When your actions are motivated by love, your energy multiplies and accumulates."

According to Chopra, miracles are the expression of this law, and he recommends the following practices to apply it:

Acceptance. Accept things (people, situations, circumstances, events) as they are in this moment, rather than focussing on how you wish they were.

Responsibility. This is actually not about blaming yourself (or anyone else), but about focusing on your ability to choose your response. It's about recognising that every "problem" in your life presents you with an opportunity for growth. It's about choosing to remain alert to those opportunities and transforming the situation into something of greater benefit, for yourself and for others.

Defenselessness. Let go of your desire to be right, to be viewed by others as being right, or smart, or wise. Be open to other points of view, be open to changing your mind, and be unconcerned about how others perceive your thinking.

Least effort is the path of non-resistance. And resistance is a seed for unhappiness. Let it go. Allow life to unfold as it will, and roll with it. Even if you don't like what's happening in the moment, your overall wellbeing will be enhanced by the lack of struggle.

August 17, 2009

"My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny." ~ Elaine Maxwell

"The best way to predict your future is to invent it. It's up to you." ~ Frank Maguire

"Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be." ~ Karen Ravn

June 19, 2009

New here on my blog, The Game of Life is an ezine I have been sending to subscribers via email for three and a half years. To receive your copy direct to your email inbox click here.

This edition is focussed on surviving and thriving during difficult times. It's inspired by the global economic crisis that is causing widespread stress and despair, and so there are a few resources that focus directly on dealing with being unemployed right now.

However, "difficult times" aren't limited to financial hardships, and can apply in every area of our lives. So, there's also some resources that look at dealing with difficult situations in general. I hope you find something of use to you.

Read on...

"We’re living in a time where nearly everyone is feeling overwhelmed with the changes and problems in the world. Some of us feel stuck, uninspired and fearful. Others have suffered major losses and feel hopeless and helpless. Some people find ways to thrive even in bad times. They refuse to fall into 'the sky is falling mode'.”

In this post Tess of The Bold Life outlines no fewer than 77 ways to lighten up in tough times. And here she provides a list of the simple joys in life that money really and truly cannot buy. Just reading it will give you a lift.

Life is like climbing a mountain!

"We’ll stumble along the way in life. Our ego’s will be bruised. We might be broken financially or emotionally. Yet, that doesn’t mean we’re finished, or that our mountain peak isn't attainable."

In this post Lance from The Jungle of Life beautifully describes the various life lessons we can gain from this metaphor. If it feels like you're climbing a mountain right now, you may find some solace in this.

Meditation is the perfect antidote to stress!

I am just a few weeks away from being certified (hopefully) as an instructor in primordial sound meditation, and I believe that meditation could actually be the perfect solution to all of the worlds ills! It's a big claim I know, which is probably why I have yet to blog about it!

Whether you'd go along with such a huge claim or not, there is plenty of scientific evidence as to the wonderful benefits of meditation. And happily, Roger from A Content Life has posted a wonderful six part series on meditation for beginners.

There are many, many different ways to meditate, and how you do it isn't really important. We don't judge our meditation by the experience during the practice but by the results in our lives afterwards. So, the key is to experiment with different techniques until you find one that suits you. Roger's series is perfect for people new to meditation and walks you through a few different techniques.

If you are out of work:

Although the landscape is very bleak at the moment, there are jobs out there to be found. The difficulty though in the current climate is that the competition is fierce. Because unemployment rates are so high the sheer quantity of applications for vacant positions is overwhelming to those doing the hiring.

The first hurdle in a job search is just to get noticed. Sending out blanket job applications is a surefire strategy to receive blanket rejection - and that will begin to knock your self confidence, the one thing you really need to nurture right now.

This Wall Street Journal article looks at the benefits of volunteering, not only for the feel-good factor of doing something worthwhile with your time, but also because of the opportunity to upskill and open yourself up to a potential new career.

And here, Bob Lotich writes about how maintaining a positive attitude in the face of being laid off can help you find your next (maybe even better) job.

In this book Dyer takes a prayer by St Francis of Assisi and breaks it down into a series of lessons. He proposes that, if applied in your day to day life, these concepts will raise the vibration of your energy. What this means essentially, is that you'll live your life in closer relationship with your Spirit, and thereby find a spiritual solution to any issue that arises.

Dyer's own sense of inner peace pervades his writing, and he provides many, many practical examples from his own life and the lives of his readers as to how these principles really do provide solutions that you wouldn't logically expect.

The book is divided into two sections. The first provides an easy-to-grasp theoretical foundation to what it means and why it's important to align your energy with that of Spirit. Part two gives you the practical steps - how to align your energy with Spirit by following the principles outlined in St Francis' prayer.

Maybe you have some serious problems in your life right now, and maybe you don't. But one thing is for sure, you will have serious problems to deal with between now and the end of your days. That's a given. And our challenge in this life lies in how we deal with each issue that arises. Reading this book will (in my humble opinion) help you to prepare for, and cope with those challenges as and when they come up.

The prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life. ~ Saint Francis of Assisi